Urochs
/ˈjʊərɒks/noun
An extinct large wild ox that formerly inhabited Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
Did you know?Julius Caesar described the aurochs as so powerful that Roman hunters considered capturing one nearly impossible; the last known individual died in Poland in 1627.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*ūraz + *uhsō
“Wild ox + ox; a reconstructed compound referring to the great wild cattle of Europe”
Old High German
OHG
ūrohso
“A wild ox or aurochs”
Middle High German
MHG
ūroch
“Aurochs; a large wild bovine”
16th Century
German
Auerochs
“The wild ox, literally preserving the compound “wild ox””
17th Century
English
urochs
“The extinct wild ox, borrowed from German usage”
Modern English
English
urochs
“The extinct Eurasian wild ox, Bos primigenius”